The Los Angeles 2028 venue map is evolving! On Friday, the Los Angeles City Council approved a new version following proposals made by the OCOG last summer. Olympic and Paralympic swimming, artistic swimming, basketball, canoe-kayak slalom, equestrian, Olympic and Paralympic archery, the first phase of the soccer tournaments, and sitting volleyball will now take place outside of Los Angeles. Conversely, the City of Angels will host 3x3 basketball, flag football, BMX, gymnastics, lacrosse, modern pentathlon, and skateboarding. A map new look which should allow the Games to have greater influence and the organizers to limit costs.
musical chairs
Closely scrutinized in the land of the all-powerful NBA, basketball was initially scheduled to be held at the Crypto.com Arena and the LA Convention Center. It will ultimately move to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, leaving the Crypto.com Arena for the gymnastics events. Swimming, however, will be held at SoFi Stadium, also located in Inglewood, southwest of Los Angeles. The San Fernando Valley will be at the heart of the Games for the first time, with BMX, skateboarding, as well as the modern pentathlon and 3x3 basketball being held in Sepulveda Park. Two additions made possible by the relocation of archery: Olympic and Paralympic archers will not shoot in The Valley, but ultimately in the city of Carson, south of LA, which will also host track cycling, hockey, rugby sevens and tennis.
Flag football and lacrosse, two new additions to the program, will take up residence at BMO Stadium (illustration below), just across the street from Memorial Coliseum, "which will allow for a larger number of spectators to be accommodated for a longer period of time in one of Los Angeles' main competition areas.", insists the OCOG. Pierre Trochet, president of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), welcomed the choice of this 22.000-seat stadium, usually occupied by soccer. "We are very pleased with this news, which means that, subject to IOC approval, flag football will make its Olympic debut on the same campus as the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum, which will host the ceremonies and track and field", he commented, also highlighting the superb panorama of the skyline of the city center and the modernity of the stadium. The canoe-kayak slalom has officially moved 2.000 kilometers from LA, to Oklahoma City, which will also serve as the setting for softball (at Devon Park, the largest softball stadium in the world). This is a way to rationalize costs since the Riversport Rapids site, validated by the ICF, will organize the World Championships in 2026.
A better financial plan and a stronger legacy
According to the organization, this new plan will save 162 million dollars, or about 150 million euros. "This venue plan sets the stage for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to engage all parts of our city like no other Games in history", assures Mayor Karen Bass. The changes approved by the City Council will improve the financial plan for the Games and help us ensure that the 2028 Games will leave a lasting legacy and be profitable for the people of Los Angeles, as the 1932 and 1984 Games were." The IOC Executive Board, which will meet on April 9, still has to approve these adjustments.
The venue map is beginning to take shape, but is still far from final. It has been confirmed that sprint canoeing, handball, artistic swimming, open water swimming, rowing, sailing, triathlon, and water polo will take place in Long Beach. Equestrian is scheduled for Temecula, and the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena has officially been chosen to host the football semi-finals and finals. However, the other stadiums involved remain unknown. The OCOG simply explained that "several stadiums outside the host city » will be used, "as in previous editions of the Games », and that they will be "announced at a later date. »Responses are also expected in the coming months for shooting, mountain biking, climbing, squash, surfing, boxing and cricket.
